Over A Cup of Tea
by Ocarina Arcanine
Summary: AU, OC x OC. Time passes, things change for better or worse. And two lonely souls find each other, becoming completely intertwined. This is the story of a relationship that nobody thought would come to be, and stayed strong through it all. True soulmates, never to be apart. This is the story of Thanatos Mason, and Psylia Strifet. CM and CS. Forever through eternity.


Heyo everyone. Ocarina here. Nobody has seen me in quite some time, but that's just because I've been up over at devART.

This is an OC x OC story. One is my character, one is my matesprit's.

It takes place in an AU universe, where many trolls talk together all the time, and the homestuck games never quite happened, though sessions of their own occured, while none destroyed the land, the planets, that any characters are from. Many species know each other, come together in harmony and in war. Humans, vulcans, demons and angels, trolls and elves and shapeshifters and nekos. Vampires and werewolves.

This story takes place in a world created by pesterchum. Yes, it's a real thing. Those of you that know of it may have heard of the Underside Nightclub. That, is where their story begins. That, is where much of their story takes place. It is where it nearly all ended.

As time goes on from the day they became matesprits, to proposal, to things that go on in everyday life- this is the story of Psylia and Thana.

confusedSociopath, and coolheadedMeditation.

- 3 -

Psylia Strifet had already been sitting at the bar by the time Thanatos Mason had come in. Her eyesight, still blurry from the retinas being damaged from previous fighting, did her no aid in finding her friend.

She took a sip from the flask in her hand, filled previously with tea. Psylia was an ex-alcoholic, and her drinking habits were a way to escape from her past. But they had gotten dangerous. Dangerous to the point of nearly killing her. And so for the sake of all the people she knew, and cared for deeply and completely, she quit drinking cold gobble-beast.

It was very, very difficult. A harsh road. Psylia got cravings very often, and occasionally went into the shakes. Her eyesight issues only made her want to drink more, to get away from it all, just be lost... lost to oblivion, without a worry. But she didn't. She fought it, stayed strong. And tea became her best friend in those harsh times.

Hearing Thanatos' voice, Psylia turned her head slightly, twitching an ear. It took her only a moment to invite him to sit with her. Thanatos nodded, eyeing the flask, peering at it curiously on his way over to the bar, taking a seat next to his good friend. As if on cue, Psylia raised the flask toward him.

"It's tea. In case you were wondering."

"Ah, good for you my dear," Thana smiled, "Good, good. So, how are you, Psy?"

"Ah. I'm... alright, I suppose. Can't exactly see you... you're more... an extreme blur, sadly enough."

Thana looked curiously at the troll girl sitting next to him. "Why am I a blur?"

Psylia blinked a good few times and shrugged. "Uh... a strife from a few weeks ago."

"Oh." His face fell slightly. She was out fighting again? "Is there anything I can do?"

"Anyway. You sound like you're in a really good mood," She cut him off, "What goes on with you? And, ah, no. They have to heal in their own time."

"Huh? Well... Evan's no longer causing trouble. It worries me."

"Oh? Grand to hear. Or... not?"

"He's either depressed, or he's in love. Which scares me."

Psylia chuckled. "Haha! Kinda like I was that one day, eh?"

Thana nodded. "If he's in love then it means he met a bigger maniac than him. So I don't have to babysit him anymore. Plus, today is just a nice day."

"Good for you! Ah, now I must ask. You are in such a good mood, I must turn what you said around, and say, "you're either REALLY happy about not having your brother around, or you are in love as well."

Thana looked startled, and then frowned down at the bartop.

"... I am not."

"If you say so."

"The whole... flower wilting touch.. Puts people off."

"Hm? I wouldn't think that."

Thana looked at her from the corner of his eye. "That's you..."

"It's never bothered anyone I know that you know as well."

He sighed and looked at her, "I'm not exactly snuggly, get it?"

She looked confused. "...is that a bad thing?"

"A lot of girls apparently find me snugglable. Well. Until they touch me. Heh."

"Ah," Psylia grinned, "Well, you're perfectly snugglable to me, though I wouldn't without permission, haha!" She laughed for a moment. Thana looked the other way momentarily, very glad that she couldn't see the horrible blush that he had developed.

"Heh, I...I-I don't think we're that close, no?" He coughed slightly. "Anyway."

Psylia shrugged, taking a sip of her tea from her flask, falling quiet a moment to listen to the noise in the background. A troll known to many as Karkat Vantas was off ranting at someone for being a complete moron, as was normal.

"You alright there?" The trollian woman quirked an eyebrow at her human companion.

"Let's... talk about something other than... my relationships. Yeah?"

Psylia grinned. "Alright. I know when to drop a topi-"

"Stop smiling like that!" Thana yelled, moments later gasping silently, putting his hands over his mouth. Psylia blinked.

"...?"

"Ahem. Anyway."

Her smile immediately fell away from her face. She looked at him, a worried look on her face.

"Are... you okay?"

"I.. can we just stop talking about me, my relationships, and their problems?"

"I... didn't think we were?" Psylia raised her eyebrows once again. "Alright, what would you like to talk about?"

"... Something else." He shrugged, finally having gotten a hold of himself, composure once again regained. "I dunno."

Moments later, there was a large _thump_ as someone across the club slid and fell on their face. Psylia started, perking up slightly, curiousity peaked. She turned to look out at the rest of the club, blinking furiously, trying to see. "Someone fell? You alright kiddo, whoever you are?"

Thanatos looked over at another person, one who had made fun of the person who fell. He frowned. "Mind yourself. You're not making friends. Nobody likes being laughed at. Well, except clowns."

"I'd laugh at myself if I fell. But that's just me, I suppose." Psylia froze a moment later, shuddering. "..Clowns?"

"Clowns aren't really... People. ..."

"No, they aren't."

Thana turned to look at the instigator, who was bitching about everyone having ganged up on him. "Well, first there was whining about being the only non troll," he remarked, motioning to his ashy black hair. "Do you see horns?"

Psylia sighed slightly, relaxing back against the bar. "Come on now. Calm down everyone..."

"I'm calm," Thana replied.

"..."

"..."

Thana sighed. Psylia looked upwards at the ceiling, trying to see it, though she knows she can't anyway.

"Well," Thana started, "You said something about a strife earlier, Psy? Anything else get hurt that I should worry about?" He glanced at her worriedly, before starting, throwing in "So I can help if you collapse or something!" at the last moment.

Psylia looked off in thought a moment, humming slightly. "Oh? Ah... no, my arm was obliterated, bones cracked up pretty bad, but due to a good healer, and medical techniques, it's healed by now mostly. I did collapse twice though, the night of the fight, I think..."

"Obliterated literally or figuratively?"

"I might have been coughing up blood. Ah, figuratively. The bones though, were in extremely bad shape, yes."

He looked a bit stricken. "...Oh dear, that can mean internal damage... Did someone check it?"

"Yeah... I got fixed up."

"Oh. Good! I was... er. Good." Thana takes that moment to look away from her once again, keeping eye contact elsewhere.

"But I won't be fighting again for a while, hehe..."

"**Good.** It'd be bad of you to get killed. I mean. Er..."

"Indeed it would."

"I mean, it would be bad if YOU _got_ killed. Not implying you would choose to die. ...You wouldn't right?"

"I wouldn't be able to talk with the people I care about, hm? Oh, oh HELL no. I'm not that pathetic. Not. Anymore."

"Oh! Oh." Thana let out a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding. "Good. I... argh, I'm nosing in where I don't belong again..." Thana stared resolutely at the bartop; he seemed a lot more emotional than he usually was. Psylia stared off ahead into space quietly, smiling softly.

"Hm? Oh, no... it's quite fine. I have nothing to hide. Please, ask away."

"I... don't have anything to ask. Well, nothing that isn't a major invasion of-" he cut himself off and swallowed heavily. "Oops. Forget that."

She shrugged. "Hm? Feel free to ask."

"I... really, don't want to invade your privacy."

"It's fine. Thana, it's fine." She smiled slowly, shaking her head, and feeling for a tea pot and two cups, shakily pouring the two of them cups of decaffinated tea. Thana sighed.

"I... What do you do.. if... well.. say you suddenly realized you're really lonely." Psylia patted the seat next to her, putting the other cup in front of the stool on the bartop.

"Hm... What would I do..? I... guess I'd just kind of wander alone until I found someone I knew. Or until they found me, I guess."

"No, I... what if you didn't know anyone. Like, well enough to be friends."

Psylia frowned, and thought about it a moment. Thinking of how to word it out, the thought popped into her mind that Thana was leading up to something with this. Just... what on earth could it be?

"Hm... well, from personal experience... I just kind of, wandered. Until someone talked to me, I guess. And then, well..."

Thana moved slightly closer to her, taking his cup of tea, quiet. Psy stared down at the table, smiling softly.

"What happened?"

"I hoped for the best. I guess... if they liked me... for me, not who I seem, I'd just kind of... try to get to know them. And I guess I just really hoped they'd like me back, I suppose."

"Oh. Alright... thanks, I guess..."

"I did try to get to know them though. And, well, I think they like me. But... I guess I'm too shy to really know. The real me, that is."

Thana watched her, sipping his tea quietly. Psy did not move her gaze from the table.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I'm probably not too much help to you."

"Well," he replied, ignoring her apology, "if they liked you as a friend, you'd know, right?"

"I'd know. I think. I think the question for me is if they actually _liked_ me."

"So then you don't know?"

"In that sense... I don't. In a friendship way, yeah... I can kind of sense the vibes."

"Oh! So... unrequieted flushed feelings, then?"

"Ah... maybe. In two cases, ahaha..."

"I'm sorry, I don't deal in the matters much. I couldn't... really tell you."

"The first... well. I got moirailed. The second... well that remains to be seen."

"Well, the most direct route is to ask, no?"

"Hm. I suppose so, yes."

Thana took the moment to look over at another patron of the club, just... looking at him for a moment. The guy completely ignored Thana, and went on fighting with the girl he was talking to. Moments later, Thanatos turned back to Psylia.

"So there's that," he said, "I can't think of any other sure fire way. Playing it off like nothing isn't healthy."

"Indeed."

"If sitcoms have taught me anything, it's that."

"I'm just... too shy to, I guess..."

Moments later, a loud slap rang out through the club. The man Thanatos had been looking at moments earlier had just open handedly slapped the girl he had been arguing with.

"You could jus-" Thana stopped, and turned to glare. "..."

Psylia jumped at the noise and turned around. "What was that?"

"It's fine," Thana answered, "The monoracial ass just hit a girl. Someone else is dealing with him."

Psylia relaxed slightly, turning back around for the moment. The bickering only got louder and louder, and Psylia and Thana had to strain to hear each other.

"Alright," she said.

"Fine then. I do have a question now."

"Alright."

"Who are you referring to, in all this talk?"

Psylia stopped for a moment. Should she really say? Dare she ruin everything she had in a friendship with him, by saying who it was she was in love with, who she was after? She dispelled her thoughts for a minute to turn to the now three yelling people with a faint growl.

"OI! It you're gonna fight, TAKE IT TO THE FIGHTCLUB!" After the outburst, Psy turned back around, rubbing her temples.

"People," she said, "I swear."

"The death touch makes it easier," Thana said with a grin, "So much easier."

Psylia grinned back at him with a chuckle, "I'll bet."

Thana nodded, taking a sip of his tea, "So."

"Anyway. Can you repeat your question...? ...ah. Right."

At the same time, they answered the question. Who Psylia was referring to. The golden-blooded female, glanced around nervously. Now was the moment of truth. It was now, or never.

"...um..." Her cheeks darkened to the color of a deep gold, a heavy blush. "Well, he's... uh... kinda..."

"Kinda...?"

"He's... um..."

"I'm listening."

'_Shut up, Thana._' She thought to herself. '_You are not making this easier for either you or myself._' She fidgeted, trying to calm her cheeks down.

"...He's...kind of..."

"He's kind of what?"

"Sitting..." she coughed slightly, "Right..._next to me._" And without another word, she buried her head in her arms on the table, hiding her face from him. He only sipped his tea, nodding slowly, before a sharp _zzotch!_ sound rang out, and the teacup shattered completely.

"...Uhm...?" was his only reaction.

"...yeah..." Psylia muttered, "And he uh... kinda just... broke a teacup." He gently nudged the back of her head with his tea stirring spoon.

"Is that what you were worried about..?"

"Not the cup, no..."

"The other bit."

"Um... a... a little... maybe..."

"... Heh...hehahahahahahahahahahaha!" He just burst out into laughter, looking rather bewildered, rather startled. She did not move, and if anything tried to hide her head further. She thought she had just blown it entirely. He was laughing at her. There went her chances. Another one lost to the void. Probably the last.

"Oh my God... you..." he stopped laughing, and exhaled, "Well, I'm glad you said it... I... wouldn't have been able to."

She froze at his words. "...w...what...?"

"I... Well. First, look me in the eye, so I can explain."

"I uh... can't exactly um... do that... haha..." she raised her head a bit anyway, glassy expression staring straight ahead.

"Just... look at my general direction." She did so, and through her fog tinted eyes, she could see that he was sparking his misty electricity, his powers.

"So, let me explain."

She winced. Here it came. The moment of rejection.

"I... Do mean what I said. I wouldn't have been able to say I liked you. Ever since Evan's... _antics_ stopped, I realized I was... Really, really lonely."

"I...see..."

"But... I couldn't say anything about it. And I kind of realized.. I thought of you as more than a friend. But... I couldn't place the feeling." Psylia's cheeks burned more brightly than ever. "I really..."

"Y...you do...?" she interjected. He sighed.

"Let me start over. Be more simple. I am in love with you. There. Simple." Psy lowered her head to rest back on her arms, her eyes still facing ahead this time, now.

"See... It... wasn't that bad. I...I'm kinda... in love with you too. But... you kind of knew that..." She gulped, and in a daring move, shifted to rest her head against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, smiling secretly to herself as she felt it pick up slightly, his breath hitching in his throat. He winced, worried for a moment that his blue sparkingness would hurt her, take it's toll and paralyze her where she touched him.

"Well..." he ventured, "Not until you said so. A few minutes ago."

"R...right... That's what... I uh... meant."

Very tentatively, he wound an arm around her, folding her ever so delicately to his chest. Without hesitation, she leaned into his touch, eyes closing gently.

"Oh... I..." he sighed. "Like I said, I... wouldn't have ever been able to say so."

"I'm a... I'm glad that I did then..."

"So am I. And I'm sorry for being a circumventing jackass about it..."

"It's alright..."

"I just... you're sure it's me you're talking about...?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I've... I've never been more sure about something, Thana..."

"...I love you, then. Now that I'm sure you feel that way... I guess I can say that."

"I... I love you too."

He tightened his grip fractionally, making a sort of very nervous noise, something like a mix between a growl and a faint squeak, before exhaling.

"What's wrong, Than?"

"S-sorry about the teacup, by the way..."

"Oh. It's just a cup."

"And... I guess... it's kind of weird, being... this close to... you. Anyone, really. People kind of... well, they were to observe, not to touch. But..."

She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. "I'm sorry... Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No, it's just... Different. Maybe I'm just a bit disconcerted because it's new, and you've sort of... broke my facade."

She backed up slightly, gently unwinding herself from his grip.

"I'm sorry. I'm making you uncomfortable..."

He grimaced, "No, it's just..."

"I'm sorry..."

"No, don't be." He edged closer to her, carefully, quietly, trying not to alert her, to disturb her, like one would an injured animal. "Agh..." he muttered, "Why am I unable to talk or anything anymore?" He laughed quietly. "Heh... this is the first time I've seen either of us this... _flustered._"

"I... must agree..." she answered. Quietly, almost plaintively, meekly.

And then, carefully, and kind of awkwardly, and very suddenly, he reached out and hugged her closely to himself. She froze for a moment, before closing her eyes and letting herself relax slightly, hugging him back, just as closely, just as tightly, burying her nose into his chest, inhaling his scent.

"...So..." he said, "where do we go from here?" She nuzzled very timidly into his chest, by his heart, delirious, almost, off the smell of him, his closeness, his touch.

"I... don't know, actually. This uh... is the first time my feelings have been, well... truly reciprocated."

"Oh great so we're both lost, huh?"

"Unfortunately, it would seem so." She grinned. "We'll find our way."

He nodded affirmation, resting his chin against her head. He was completely content, just sitting as he was now, with her. "On a side note, that's rather sad... you really are a charming individual..."

Timidly, nervously, shyly, she moved over back to her stool at the bar, slightly away from him. Though, moments later, she shifted her body to lean against his shoulder. As gently as he could, he brushed a hand against her cheek, and she leaned into his hand, sighing happily.

"Heh... you're... so warm," he said, "I'm glad you're happy, though."

"Are _you_ happy?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just wondering."

"I've got a clear mind, you're here, and, well, hell... I'm able to hug another conscious person. I'm... pretty alright."

"Just alright?" Using her leg, she scooted her stool closer to his, sitting closer, leaning more up against him with more of herself.

"Well, no. I'm fantastic." This elicited a smile from her.

"Good to know," she answered.

"If I was the yelling type I would yell from the rooftops. But I'm not."

"No," she agreed fullheartedly, "You're not. You're more of a quiet guy."

"People either listen, or they don't. Yelling and bitching doesn't make them care any more."

"Very true."

The duo fell silent, smiling quietly, her leaning on him, her head against his shoulder and neck, him leaning slightly on her as well, head resting on hers, an arm sneaking around to rest on her hip, holding her gently, closely to herself. For a long while they just basked in each other's comfort, in love found out of loneliness.

They stayed like that for some time, eventually talking to each other quietly. And so they remained, as the hours dragged on through the night, as the other patrons of the club thinned out, until the bar finally closed, and they reluctantly parted with a goodnight to each other, and a shy kiss on the cheek. Psylia hoped, with a fervent passion, that she would run into him again soon. She loved this man, even if he was a different species. And she wouldn't give it up without a fight.


End file.
